In rural Ireland, circa 1860s, two women, their long, modest dresses of homespun fabric whipping gently in the strong coastal wind, walk with determined strides across a windswept cliff top. The ground is carpeted with hardy wildflowers in muted hues. They move steadily towards the precipitous edge, where the vast, turbulent grey-green ocean roars and crashes against the sheer rock face far below, sending plumes of white spray into the air